Bill Text: NH SB453 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relative to requirements and criteria for a competitive grant program for drinking water protection and relative to fluoride in municipal water systems.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Passed) 2018-06-18 - Signed by the Governor on 06/12/2018; Chapter 0258; Effective 08/11/2018 [SB453 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2018-SB453-Amended.html
SB 453 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
03/22/2018 1140s
2May2018... 1717h
2018 SESSION
18-2968
08/06
SENATE BILL 453
SPONSORS: Sen. Morse, Dist 22; Sen. Feltes, Dist 15; Rep. Suzanne Smith, Graf. 8
COMMITTEE: Energy and Natural Resources
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill changes the requirements for rulemaking for a competitive grant program for drinking water protection.
This bill also requires a municipality receiving water from another municipality's water system to notify its water uses about the presence of fluoride in the water.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03/22/2018 1140s
2May2018... 1717h 18-2968
08/06
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eighteen
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Implementation of Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection. Amend RSA 485-F:3, II to read as follows:
II. The department shall adopt rules, under RSA 541-A, relative to:
(a) [Defining and] Administering a competitive grant program for drinking water protection projects[, including application requirements, criteria for selection, approval process, and matching fund requirements].
(b) Administering the revolving loan fund[, including application requirements, provisions for cost-sharing, criteria for selection, approval process, and funding qualifications].
2 New Subparagraphs; Implementation of Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection. Amend RSA 485-F:4, VII by inserting after subparagraph (c) the following new subparagraphs:
(d) Develop, for the grant program application requirements, criteria for selection, approval processes, and matching requirements.
(e) Develop, for the revolving loan fund application requirements, provisions for cost sharing, criteria for selection, approval processes, and funding qualifications.
(f) Not be subject to RSA 541-A.
3 New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Advisory Commission Established. Amend RSA 485-F:4, I(g) to read as follows:
(g) The director of economic development, department of [resources] business and economic [development] affairs, or designee.
4 New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Advisory Commission Established. Amend RSA 485-F:4, VII(a)(5) to read as follows:
(5) The project provides funding through cost-sharing grants to municipalities, municipally-owned water utilities, and privately owned water utilities [regulated by the public utilities commission] that are public water systems as defined in RSA 485:1-a, XV for the design, construction, and extension of public water systems, and the establishment and expansion of wellhead protection areas where they provide the most cost effective method for providing safe and clean drinking water.
5 Use of Fluoride. Amend RSA 485:14 to read as follows:
485:14 Use of Fluoride.
I. No fluoride shall be introduced into [the] a public water [supply] system unless and until the municipality or municipalities [using said waters] served by such system have each held a public hearing as to the introduction of fluoride into the public water [supply of said municipality or municipalities] system, and the registered voters of such municipality or municipalities have approved such action pursuant to RSA 44:16, RSA 31:17-a, RSA 52:23, or RSA 485:14-a. For purposes of this section "municipality" means a municipality that has 100 or more user connections that are served from the public water [supply] system.
II. Paragraph I, RSA 44:16, RSA 31:17-a, RSA 52:23, and RSA 485:14-a shall not apply to a public water system’s receipt of fluoridated water from another public water system. If a public water system that does not fluoridate its water receives fluoridated water from another system, it shall, prior to receipt, provide written information to its water users that includes the following:
(a) A statement, approved by the department, that the water contains fluoride for the purpose of improving community oral health and, in the event the fluoride levels are diluted from other sources of water or degraded, that the fluoride levels may be too low to effectively prevent tooth decay;
(b) An identification of the source of the fluoridated water; and
(c) The most recent compliance sample result for fluoride that the supplier of water that fluoridated the water has submitted to the department.
6 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
